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Taking a step back in time: Residents tour historic Robison Mansion

By CARIE CANTERBURY canterburyc@ cañoncitydailyrecord.com

Posted:
12/02/2012 09:29:03 PM MST

Actors Michal Cooling and Josiah Prezkuta reenact Lyman and Mary Robison on Sunday in the elegant dining room of the historic Robison Mansion as part of the Enchanted Christmas Tours to benefit the Cañon City Pregnancy Center.
(Carie Canterbury/Daily Record)

Some Cañon City residents have lived their entire lives in the community without ever stepping foot inside the grand and historic Robison Mansion.

However, the welcome mat was rolled out when the Victorian home was opened to the public for the Enchanted Christmas Tours Friday through Sunday, part of the weekend-long Sleigh Bell Celebration.

Alex, 4, Mischa, 7, and Katerina, 10, toured the home Sunday with their mother, Diana Clouthier.

"I was surprised how big the mansion was," Katerina said. "It was ginormous."

Clouthier said she enjoyed hearing about the home's previous owners and the extensive amount of work and finances that went into restoring it.

The 6,064 square-foot home was built in 1884 by Lyman Robison, a Scotish immigrant who made his money in gold and silver mines.

The house cost about $4,000 to build, but the entire project, including the land, house, carriage house and outbuildings cost about $20,000.

It was displayed in its full holiday splendor for the tour event.

"So many people have commented so many times just how beautifully decorated it is for the holidays," said Kristy Slaughenhaupt, mansion tour guide and executive director for the Cañon City Pregnancy Center. "The mansion is beautiful by itself, but when you start adding the decorations, it just becomes breathtaking."

Visitors also enjoyed the live actors that portrayed Lyman and Mary Robison and their household staff.

"That's an enhancement in and of itself because then they really get a feel for it," said Danielle Murph, client services coordinator for the Pregnancy Center.

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Suzanne Cook and Jane Trainor said Sunday's tour opened the door for their first visit inside the mansion. They described it as elegant and beautiful.

"It was like going back in time," Trainor said.

"What I thought was nice were references to Ed Tezak who recently passed, to remember all his love of history and it will last forever," Cook said. "It's a tribute to Cañon City."

Tezak purchased the home in the late 1980s, and invested about $1 million to restore the home. Similar to Robison, Tezak also was known for his generosity in the community.

"Investing in the community was a priority for the Robison family," Slaughenhaupt said during the tour. "They definitely believed in the future of Cañon City."

More than 200 people toured the mansion during the weekend. Proceeds from the Enchanted Christmas Tours benefit the Cañon City Pregnancy Center.

The Robison Mansion was acquired by HLC Enterprises in 2008 and is available for vacation rentals and is a wedding and event venue. For more information, visit robisonmansion.com. For more photos from the Sleigh Bell Celebration, visit Cañon City Daily Record News on Facebook.